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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344554">A Mermaid's Secrets</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/iOpheliaBlues/pseuds/iOpheliaBlues'>iOpheliaBlues</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stardew Valley (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama &amp; Romance, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Mystical Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Build</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:54:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344554</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/iOpheliaBlues/pseuds/iOpheliaBlues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stardew Valley AU -</p><p>An injured young mermaid washes up on the sandy shores of Stardew Valley. When a strange old man comes to her aid, how will she fit in with the people of Pelican town and what will unfold for her when she begins to catch feelings for someone in the town?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Player (Stardew Valley)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Mermaid's Secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! So, I've been fully indulging myself in ocean based things today. Somehow, I ended up coming up with the idea of a mermaid-based AU for Stardew Valley. The Mermaid Pendant was something that always intrigued me the most, considering who gives it to you. I dunno, always felt like a mermaid giving it to you made more sense. Especially since at one of the Night festivals, you can see one in the later updates. Well, anyway, that was my inspiration. I hope you enjoy the beginning of this... tail. ;)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Furious waves crashed against the pier. Beads of water glistened in the sky like stars, twinkling for a short time before evaporating into nothingness. The year was well into autumn, and heavy rain had been plummeting onto the once-golden shores of Stardew Valley for hours. This storm was uncommon for the people of the small town. Some had speculated the sea Yobas were mad at them, while others simply spent the day in front of the television, hoping it would all blow over. But while all of the residents hid away in their homes, they were completely unaware of a visitor who was about to awaken.</p><p>There she lay, entangled in a web of netting, smothered by the violent sea’s vegetation. A young, teenaged girl. However, something was different about this newcomer. At first glance, everything seemed normal: pale skin, cold, blue eyes, silver, curly locks. But if you were to look down to her legs, you’d be in for a shock. The lower part of her body wasn’t human at all! Where her legs were supposed to be was a long, shimmering, crystal-like sapphire tail.</p><p>The picturesque girl winced in pain. There, on her stunningly beautiful tail, was a grotesque, deep-red gash. Her blood fell to the sandy shores, mixing and fusing with the unrelenting rain.<br/>
She tried desperately to call out to someone – anyone – to no avail. She opened her mouth, ready to shout, but her speech was a total mess. Everything she said was alien to her.</p><p>As time passed, still lying on her back, she felt her consciousness slip. The world around her seemed to darken, her eyes felt heavy. She didn’t know what to do, but she couldn’t let this be the end. She couldn’t give up.</p><p>In the distance, as everything began to blur, she noticed a bright light shining. Following behind that light was a silhouette, shadowed by the darkness of the sky. Her arm instinctively reached out, desperate for that light to come closer.</p><p>She prayed silently to herself as her consciousness vanished. And with that, her head crashed against the coarse sand, much like the waves against the pier.</p><p> </p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Gasps escaped her lips, her remarkably dazzling tail trashing in a momentary panic against the small, cramped tiled space. Suddenly, a bright light shone above her. But it wasn’t from a distance in the dark sky like before, but from the ceiling. When her stunningly azure eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she found herself in a small room, her slender body submerged in a bathtub.</p><p>She stared intensely at her surroundings, desperately trying to catch her breath. Where was she? What was going on?</p><p>A quick glance at her tail and she realised… the gash from before was gone. On her alluring, sapphire tail were now white, soaked bandages, wrapped tight around the wound. The injury was still very much an issue, however, because her thrashing from earlier was now coming back to bite her. For a moment the room echoed with a groan.</p><p>Wiping the tears from a reddened cheeks, a sound caught her attention.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Knock, knock.</em> </strong>
</p><p>She jolted, turning towards the door. A lump formed in her throat, her voice resisted once more, unable to escape her body.</p><p>What was going on?</p><p>She had only heard horror stories about the surface: other mermaids that had gone missing from the ocean that were captured, taken against their will and never heard from again… Was that the fate that awaited her?</p><p>The door swung open, but to her surprise, an elderly, gentle-looking man stumbled into the bathroom. He gave her one swift glance and his lips curled into a warm, friendly smile.</p><p>“Hello, miss. How are you feeling?”, he said softly, as though not to startle her. In his hand was a cup of what seemed like sugar. She, on the other hand, had the look of fear plastered on her delicate face. “Oh, don’t worry. This is salt. I’m aware that mermaids need salt water to stay mermaids, yes?”</p><p>The mermaid hesitated for a moment. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes looking down in bewilderment. She was afraid, but… this old man seemed different than the stories about humans. <em>Why would he go through the trouble of doing all this if his intent was to cause harm?</em> she thought.</p><p>“Y-yes, sir…”</p><p>Even after the incident, she found it hard to speak. Her eyes closed tightly for a mere few moments, trying to calm all the anxieties and fears that plagued her mind. Upon looking up, she searched the man’s wrinkled face, curious for any signs of hostility. <em>How did he know about needing salt?</em></p><p>“Where… am I? W-who are you?”, her voice shook as she spoke. She shuffled her petite body to the furthest corners of the bathtub, and though that didn’t do much, it put a little part of her mind at ease, to know there was a big gap between the elderly man and herself.</p><p>“I found you at the shore last night,” the man continued to speak softly, unfazed by her actions. He continued smiling, but kept his other hand behind his back, as though to show he would not lay a finger on her. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do once I saw your wound. I doubt you would’ve been able to swim with that kind of injury, so I took you here. This is my home, Stardew Farm. I’m the local farmer, Randall.”</p><p>“F...farm? Farmer…?”, she responded in a mumble.</p><p>She took a moment to recall the events of the previous night, how the ferocious waves had pushed her far from home, how the everlasting storm tossed her against tides and rocks – sending her body into an uncontrollable mayhem. Soon, she found herself tumbling towards the shore, caught in a webbing of fishing nets.</p><p>Laughter echoed throughout the bathroom. She looked sheepishly at the old man, who was letting out a hearty laughter. She raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“My apologies,” he said through his chuckles. “I can’t expect the people of the sea to know what a farm is. Just know, you’re in safe hands.” As he spoke, he pointed towards the cup of salt he brought with him. “Do you need a top up? I can leave this for you here if you do.”</p><p>The mermaid’s brows furrowed, unsure of what to make of the man. She knew he had been her saviour, but with everything happening so fast, she couldn’t keep up with it all. She inhaled, letting the air soothe her before she spoke. “Thank you for saving me.” She began to relax; her body was no longer tense.</p><p>She certainly didn’t feel any hostility from the old man, but she still had her questions. “Why did you save me?”</p><p>The old man slowly moved towards the bathtub. With an unsteady hand, he had fetched a folded up chair and placed it beside the enchanting mermaid. With the cup of salt in one hand, he carefully lowered it onto the side of the tub. “How could I leave an injured person to suffer? Human or not, no one should be left to hurt like that.”</p><p>Unbelievable as it may have seemed, it appeared this old man’s words were true. She no longer felt tense or fearful, but grateful to the man. Despite being a mermaid, he had gone out of his way to carry her to his home, patched her up, and tended to her wounds. Guilt started to seep into her for feeling slightly apprehensive towards him.</p><p>“May I ask you something, miss?”, the senior questioned, relaxing his nimble body into the comfort of his fold-up chair. She nodded in response.</p><p>“What’s your name?”</p><p><em>Oh.</em> She hadn’t realised she forgot to introduce herself.</p><p>“Serena. It’s Serena.” She slowly rose from the bathtub, shifting her excellent figure closer to the old man’s direction. The fear that had once resided within her was now curiosity, but mostly appreciation. Who knew what her fate may had been if she had stayed there on the shores. Only a handful of humans knew of the existence of mermaids after all.</p><p>Which begged the question…</p><p>“Is it okay if I ask you, Randall, sir. How come you aren’t afraid of me? Or surprised?”</p><p>The elderly farmer let out a long hum, probably choosing his words. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, and for that brief second, his smile no longer reached his eyes.</p><p>“I’ve known of the sea people for quite some time now,” he let out a chuckle, one laced with a slight tint of sadness. Serena was unconvinced by his tone, but she could tell he was hiding it on purpose. Perhaps it was something he did not want to dwell on. She sensed a slight uncomfortable vibe in the air and didn’t feel right to press the matter, despite her curiosity. Instead, she smiled at the man.</p><p>“Thank you. Are you sure you’re alright letting me heal up here? It may take a while…”, Serena once again sank into the bathtub, flipping her tail gently in demonstration. It flopped from side to side before she let out a small yelp from the wound. She huffed and shuffled herself back up.</p><p>“Of course you can. This is the only bathroom I have, but I’m sure I can figure something else out for the time being.”</p><p>Honestly, she felt a little guilty staying in this man’s home. From the looks of things, he clearly lived alone. At a feeble age too, nonetheless. The bathroom alone seemed far too small, so what would the rest of the house look like? Would he really be okay with two people living here? What could she do…</p><p>Ah!</p><p>Serena flashed him a toothy grin, “I have an idea!”, she excitedly declared, clapping her hands together in triumph. “If you wouldn’t mind, sir. Could I have a towel?”. The old man raised a confused brow, but asked no questions. He reached over and tugged a fresh, white, towel from the cupboard underneath the sink.</p><p>As she extended her arm to grab the towel, she positioned herself upright and wrapped it around her lower body. She closed her eyes and told the old man to do the same, muttering a language that the old man was unable to understand. Mere seconds later…</p><p>“You can open your eyes now!”, she spoke with excitement, the sounds of water splashing lessened.</p><p>As the old man’s eyes parted, she stood in the bathtub. Her sparkling, crystal-like tail was now replaced with human legs, a towel now wrapped around her hips. The bandage that was covering her wound was floating on top of the water, revealing a large gash on both her legs. Serena continued to give him a prideful grin.</p><p>“Well, I’ll be! I suppose that solves one issue.”, his laughter echoed once again through the bathroom. “Well, welcome to my farm, miss Serena.”</p><p>She cheerfully grinned, thankful that the old man was ever so kind. She hoped this would not be an inconvenience to him, and that she could swim with ease again soon.</p><p>“So, can you tell me about this ‘farm’ thing now?”, she stifled a giggle through her wide smile. Somehow, Serena now felt calm, her usual personality seeping life back into her. Although she still had many questions for the senior that took her in, right now, she decided to hold off and wait until the time was best. She was, after all, indebted to the kind, old man.</p><p><br/>
---------------------------------</p><p><br/>
The following weeks were strenuous, but with every painful wince, Serena made it one step further on the road to recovery. During the healing process, Randall had spent what little time he had away from the farm talking with the young girl. The two grew closer, sharing stories of their lives and Serena grew ever-more curious about the lives of humans. Randall offered to teach her as much as he could: from the animals, nature, and even his favourite cooking recipes. Randall had thought it a good idea to have Serena help out by cooking these recipes every once in a while, but each time had the merry old man reaching for the fire extinguisher. Sure, Serena wasn’t the best cook, but she did have one speciality: singing. On especially exhausting days, Serena would sing to Randall as he sat down to a well-earned glass of scotch. Serena’s former timidness towards the farmer disappeared along with the awful weather that plagued Stardew Valley for weeks, and in time, they both found themselves standing on the sandy shores where they had met.</p><p>“So this is it, huh.”, Randell said softly.</p><p>“Yeah… Guess so.”</p><p>“You’ll come visit, won’t you?”</p><p>Serena felt something wet bounce on her cheek. But this time it wasn’t rain. “Definitely!” A smile as wide as the ocean shone in the sunlight.</p><p>“Good. Now get going before you make this old man cry.”<br/>
<br/>
Serena turned her back to Randall, staring out to the vast water, her long, silver locks flowing in the wind. She took step forward before stopping herself, turning once more to face the teary old man.</p><p>“What’s wrong? Forget something back at the farm?”</p><p>Without a moments hesitation, Serena leapt forward and wrapped her slender arms around Randall. “Thank you for everything.”</p><p>At first, Randall was afraid Serena had decided to not visit him, but, in time, she stopped by the farm every now and again. When they had time together, Randall would continue to teach Serena all he knew. Serena became well-versed in the English language, learning how to read and write. She didn’t get any better at cooking, though.<br/>
<br/>
Each time she had visited, she had always made sure no one saw her emerge from the blue abyss seas, always visiting her dear friend at night when she knew no one would catch her. </p><p>Over the years, the young girl Randall once knew became a fine woman. Her features were now more elegant than he could have ever imagined. Serena was as beautiful as any mermaid he had saw in the story books. Randall, on the other hand, grew weaker by the day. His cheery demeanour remained, but his body was too tired to continue the harsh labour that came with running a farm.</p><p>Ten years had passed and Serena had come once again to the beach of Stardew Valley. Spring had come earlier than she had anticipated and nature was in full effect. Over the singing of the birds that flew above her, she heard a weary voice cry out to her. A figure staggered towards her with pain etched on his face. Serena, unable to let him come to her any longer, ran over to Randall.</p><p>“I told you before. I’ll come to the farm. You don’t need to come all the way here.”</p><p>“Ah, this is nothing. I may be old, but my legs are just fine.”</p><p>“Come on. Let’s get you back. I’ll whip you up a good meal!”</p><p>“Please don’t.”</p><p>The two friends slowly made their way down the shore. Serena tried her best to help Randall walk, scolding him as he rejected her arm. In what seemed like a much longer journey than Serena was used to, they eventually made it inside, and Randall collapses in a heap.</p><p>“Oh!” Serena clamoured to get Randall back to his feet. It was clear to the mermaid that he needed rest, so she sat him on his chair.</p><p>Randall let out his signature laugh she had heard so often. But this time she couldn’t laugh with him. “How are you going to live on your own like this? Do the townspeople know?”</p><p>“’Course they do. Have you seen the farm?” On her way here, Serena had noticed the state of the farm, and it wasn’t pretty.</p><p>“Is no one helping you?”</p><p>“Couple of folks, sure. But it ain’t their farm. And I doubt any of them will want it after I’m gone, anyhow.”</p><p>“You have children. Would they?”</p><p>“Nah. Asked ‘em both. Both said they didn’t want it. Don’t blame ‘em honestly.”</p><p>Serena was caught up in her own thoughts when Randall suddenly gave her a swift tap on the back in reassurance. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. I’ll sort something out.”</p><p>“But I-”</p><p>“Now then, tell me. How are things back at home? Any of those sleaze balls still giving you trouble? I swear, if I had a tail, I’d swim down there and teach those damn brats a lesson.” Randall raised both fists in the air, as if he was demonstrating a fighting stance.</p><p>Serena smiled and lowered his fists. “No, I told them I know a really strong old guy who’d knock them into next week if they tried anything.”</p><p>“Damn right.” Randall nodded in approval. Serena couldn’t help but chuckle.</p><p>“Back to the farm. I, um, have a proposal.”</p><p>“Oh yeah? What is it?”</p><p>“I can look after it."</p><p>Randall hesitated, puzzled at what Serena had just said. “Y-You?”</p><p>“I’ve been coming here for, what, ten years now? You’ve taught me a lot. Plus, I can use my human legs whenever I want. It’s not a problem.”</p><p>“Sorry, little lady. No can do.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“You got a life down in the ocean. Running the farm day in day out will strip you of all that. You can’t be doing this.”</p><p>“But I want to.”</p><p>Randall grew tired of the conversation, but couldn’t help but notice the determination in Serena’s eyes. She placed her gentle hands around Randall’s. “I want to. I’ll be Stardew Valley’s new farmer.”</p>
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